Sunday, December 30, 2007

On my last night in town, I got to see Mississippi Cactus put on a great show in Sheboygan, about an hour away from Milwaukee. The boys all were in fine form. For more on the band, check out their My Space page:

Thursday, December 20, 2007

Mike picked me up last night at Milwaukee's swanky, new downtown train station (the train was ON TIME!) and took me to dinner at a yummy Italian restaurant. I had gnocchi with asparagus, spinach and mushrooms _ even more wonderful after three days of train food.

Coincidentally, Brian had a solo acoustic show last night at a jazz bar called the Estate. He played Morrissey, Radiohead, Coldplay and a bunch of other stuff. Mike helped him out on harmonica and backup vocals. A grand time was had by all.

The Zephyr is a train that runs every day from Emeryville, Calif. to Chicago. The ride takes three days and two nights. With a bit of extra time on my hands, I decided to embark on the $127 (with my AAA discount) adventure. I met interesting people, ate really bad food and saw some of the most spectacular scenery. A Japanese tourist who I met on the trip said it best: "I took the train because I wanted to see how big America really is."

Sunday, December 16, 2007

I know in many places it's winter, but in San Francisco, it feels like fall. Crisp, clear, sunny days and chilly nights. This is one of the few trees around that changes color. I think it's a gingko. Why don't we have fall here? Hmm.

Thursday, December 13, 2007

Last night I dreamed I got badly burned in a car wreck. I was going too fast on a freeway ramp and I slammed on the brakes, but it was too late. I careened off the ramp and flipped over. Some stranger pulled me out of the car. I was screaming and burning. I wonder what this means.

Sunday, December 2, 2007

Is that not the greatest movie title ever? Greta Garbo was BEAUTIFUL! Didn't I know this? Linda took me to see this silent film courtesy of Tod and it was really, really good. Of course, the organist at the Castro made a huge difference. It's pretty amazing that a film made in 1926 is still good today.

Saturday, December 1, 2007

Whenever I see Hugh's art in public, I feel famous by association. My brother, Mike, saw one of his Black Crowes Fillmore posters for sale on eBay for $125. Woo hoo! See more of Hugh at http://www.hughillustration.com/

Monday, November 26, 2007

I went to see Jose Gonzalez perform at Bimbo's last night. It was a spur of the moment thing and I'm glad I went. Bimbo's is an old-fashioned place with lots of black leather and red velvet and it's a great place to see a show. Jose was very good. If he had a bit of stage presence or chatted with the audience a little, he could be great.

He closed his set with an incredible version of Mezzanine's "Teardrop." See one that someone else recorded here:

Monday, November 19, 2007

I just HAD to share this adorable photograph of Brian at work. As part of his program at Milwaukee Area Technical College, he works at the PBS television station. This was taken in front of the "green screen" at a recent open house.

Saturday, November 17, 2007

I splurged on a 50-minute massage yesterday. It goes without saying that it was heavenly! The Kabuki spa in Japantown remains one of the most peaceful places _ and one of the best deals _ in the city. http://kabukisprings.com. I left feeling like a wet noodle.

In the evening, Tod and Linda hosted a welcome home potluck. It was fantastic to see so many friends at once.

Tuesday, November 13, 2007

It's no secret to most of you that I'm a Sinead O'Connor fanatic. What you may not know is that I had to give up fifth row center tickets to see her at a small and beautiful venue in SF. Back in September, I had to be in London on a Monday and she performed on a Saturday. I was brokenhearted, to say the least. Serendipity intervened, however, and she performed here in London last night. Jean bought tickets in the balcony (the best seats left!) and I managed to talk my way to the eighth row. My brother, Mike, would've been proud of my schmoozing.

Monday, November 12, 2007

Every Sunday evening, Jean's apartment gets transformed into a yoga studio. I was lucky enough to be here this week. Kim's class was fantastic and reminded me how much I miss yoga. Check her out at http://www.kimmu.com/yoga.

Sunday, November 11, 2007

In the two months since I last passed through London, the weather has gone from Indian summer to fall. It's crisp and cold, but really nice to be back in such an orderly place. Egypt seems even more chaotic in comparison.

We rode bicycles to Chapel Market and indulged in a fantastic bratwurst with sauerkraut and mustard. Yum!

I later got in touch with my inner Wisconsinite and admired the freshly made cheese.

Wednesday, November 7, 2007

Dahab is a diver's paradise. Snorkeling seems to be its poor stepchild. If you do neither, you are an absolute reject. That would be me. Remember the story about the time I got seasick and threw up WHILE snorkeling? True story.

Monday, November 5, 2007

On to Dahab ... I'm breathing a big sigh of relief. It's MUCH better here. More my style. Slower. Prettier. Definitely less touristy.

Here's this town's main "promenade," if you could call it that.

Here's me at one of the way cool bar/restaurants along the water. And, yes, I have become a complete mezzah addict _ hummus, baba ganoush and all my other favorite unpronouncables. The bread here is most like it was in Iraq. Yummy!

I HAD to include this one. There are tons of stray cats here (and some adorable dogs, as well) and I've never seen a cat go fishing before. That's exactly what was happening while I ate. Crazy.

About Me

I love my adopted city of San Francisco. I've lived here since 1998. When I'm not working, I love going out to hear live music, staying home to read a book (or three!) running, making dinner for friends and yoga. Guilty pleasures: America's Next Top Model, a ballpark hotdog with sauerkraut and drinking wine in my pajamas.